Improvement in apparatus for bending coffin-sides



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH P. ALBIN, or omgrmirr, OHIO,

IMPROVEMENT IN APPARATUS FOR BENDING COFFlN-SlDES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 145,827, dated December 23, 1873; application filed November 6, 1873.

To all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OSEPH P. ALBIN, of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and in the State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Bending Ooffin-Sides; and do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, making a part of this specification, in Which Figure l is a perspective view of my improved apparatus, and Fig. 2 is a like view of the same with a coffin-side in place.

Letters of like name and kind refer to like parts in each of the figures.

In the construction of coffins having curved bent sides, the apparatus heretofore employed .for bending the same has required the manipulation'of several men whenever a side was placed in position therein, the necessary result being a large expense for this class of work as compared with other and similar kinds of work.

To render the bending operation more easy of performance, and thereby lessen the expense of the same is the design of my invention, which consists in the improved construction of the various parts of the bending-form, especially in providing inclined grooves in the inner face of the side lugs, in which the lockin g-bar fits, as hereinafter set forth.

In the annexed drawing, A and A represent two rails, having, respectively, the length and curvature of the lower and upper edges of a COffiIl-SlClB, which are connected together in parallel lines by means of a number of cross-bars, B and B, that are secured upon and extend between said rails at suitable points. A third rail, A, is placed midway between the rails A and A, for the purpose of strengthening the frame, and to secure a greater bearing-surface upon its upper side. The end of the frame which corresponds to the head of the coffin is formed upon a diagonal line, as shown, and upon its upper side at I such oint is secured a cleat O that extends upward, and is provided within its inner side with a groove, 0, that is slightly wedge-shaped from front to rear, and has such dimensions from the face of said frame upward as to enable it to receive the end of a board, D, intended for acoffin-side, the taper of said groove being equal to the difference between the thickest and thinnest sides, so as to permit either to be held firmly therein. Secured to or upon the outer face of each side rail A and A is a lug, E, that extends vertically upward, and is provided within its inner face with a groove, 6, that corresponds to and receives one end of a bar,*F, which latter is placed in position from the end of said groove toward the head of the frame. The grooves e and e incline downward from their forward ends, and at their lowest points have such height above the face of the frame as to enable the thinnest side pieces to be clamped between said frame and the bar F when the latter is pressed entirely into said .grooves, while for coffinsides having greater thickness said bar requires to be pressed inward to a less distance before it causes said coffin-side to be firmly seated upon said frame.

The apparatus thus constructed is ready for operation as follows: The coffin-side, duly steamed, is placed upon the upper side of the frame, its head end inserted within the groove 0, and its opposite end pressed downward until the'bar F can be placed in position within the grooves e and e, when, by a few blows of a hammer upon said bar, the same will be driven to place, after which the frame and side are removed, and allowed to retain their relative positions until the latter has become dry and set in shape.

But one man is required to manipulate this apparatus, and perform in as rapid a manner the same labor that has heretofore required the service of several men, while the apparatus is less expensive and requires less space for storage than that ordinarily used.

Having thus fully set forth the nature and merits of my invention, what I claim as new In a machine for bending coffin-sides, the lugs E, having inclined grooves e, in combination with the bar F, cleat G, groove 0, .and frame A A A, B and B, all constructed and arranged substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoingI have hereunto set my hand this 6th day of November, 187 3.

Witnesses: JOSEPH P. ALBIN.

GEO. S. PRINDLE, JOHN R. YOUNG. 

